


Microcosm

by balimaria



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 12:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24969733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/balimaria/pseuds/balimaria
Summary: “It’s just… you, I think?Kass waited patiently for him to collect his thoughts. Never pushing, never rushing. Always just there.(Re-uploaded from a one-shot collection that never made it to the 'collection' part)
Relationships: Kass/Link (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 83





	Microcosm

It wasn’t often that Link found himself at a loss.

There was always something to do. Some quest to complete, some person to please, some beast to conquer. But now, he was stuck in place- forced to rest after sustaining serious burns while battling the Fireblight.

It was miserable.

But at least he wasn't alone.

The gentle harmonies of Kass’s accordion slipped through the air, making his eyes droop. The genial Rito had insisted that he keep Link company, arguing that he really didn’t have anything better to do. Though he’d never admit it, it felt good to have someone… care about him?

Of course there were others who cared. Sidon came to mind immediately- but Sidon was a prince. He had princely things to do. Zelda cared too, in… a way. But Kass was just Kass. Someone who cared. Someone who was present. Someone who didn’t ask for anything in return. Link didn’t have to meet him halfway because there was no “way” in the first place. Just rustling blue feathers and faded leather armor and soft music and eyes like sunlit fields of wheat.

Link shifted, and the burns flared. Kass was by his side in a heartbeat, his plumage brushing against the beet-red tissue of his scars.

“Champion, are you okay?”

Link gritted his teeth and nodded. Kass sat with him until the pain faded, sharp eyes filled with concern.

Eventually it lapsed away. Link released a long sigh, untangling his fingers from where he’d knotted them in the grass. Kass opened his beak, but Link held up a hand.

“For you-” he began, voice raspy. “It’s just Link. No ‘champion,’ no ‘hero.’ Just Link.”

Kass blinked, confused for a moment. Obviously, that wasn’t what he’d been expecting. But after a second the Rito’s eyes crinkled. You couldn’t exactly smile with a beak- it’s one of the things Link had needed to relearn after his slumber. “How to read Rito expressions.” Not really something he’d thought about at first. But… after meeting Kass, he’d wanted to know. Wanted to be able to read the person he considered his best friend.

“Anything, Link,” the Rito murmured.

Kass didn’t pull out his accordion again. He just sat with Link, one wing draped over the hero’s shoulder. The warmth was an alien feeling, but not an uncomfortable one. The soft downy feathers on the underside of the Rito’s arms tickled against his skin in the slight breeze, making him smile against his will.

Kass glanced over at him, a question in his eyes.

“You seem unusually cheerful, given the circumstance,” he said.

Link huffed, a flush rising in his ears. “Sorry- it’s just… this.”

He waved his hands around in a vague gesture. Kass didn’t really seem to understand.

“Well…” he started. “There’s no need to be sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t follow.

Link bit his lip. “I…”

He suddenly became very invested in the earth beneath his boots.

“It’s just… you, I think?

Kass waited patiently for him to collect his thoughts. Never pushing, never rushing. Always just there.

“Well, I don’t really have, like… a home? I mean, I guess I do. I’ve got a house, up in Hateno. But it’s just that- a house. A place to put things. And…” Link paused. “Well, you know how people always say that home is a person?”

Link glanced up at Kass nervously, willing the bard to understand. Amber eyes glowed in the half-shade.

“Well, for me… that’s you.”

Kass laughed. Not a mocking laugh, goddess no- it was a laugh that made Link’s chest warm and his face warm and his entire body felt like a volcano-

The scars throbbed. Wrong thought.

“Oh, Link!” The Rito huffed out. “I never thought- such a compliment from the one chosen by the sword-! Goddess, you flatter me, I-”

Link cut off Kass’s ramblings with a hand on his shoulder.

“I mean it,” he said softly. “Really.”

And very suddenly, it was quiet. Much too quiet for something between friends.

Link leaned forward. Too close. What was he thinking? What was he doing?

He jerked away, pulling his reddened face back into the shadows. But his escape didn’t last long

Kass put a wing around his neck. Soft- much too soft for a traveler. Pressure. Pulling him forward. Rito didn’t have lips. But they had eyes, goddess, did they have eyes. Piercing, knifepoint circles of impossibly bright color. Sunlight on the wheat fields. Hylian eyes seemed so dull in comparison- his own a stormy blue. How did they get them so bright?

Hard keratin met chapped skin. Rito didn’t have lips, but they sure as hell could improvise.


End file.
